Summer Sonata
by AkizukiSakura
Summary: Naruto isn't the brightest crayon in the box; he usually has a hard time seeing things that are obvious to everyone else. Most of the time, his unique way of looking at things is a blessing - when it comes to the subtleties of romance, it's more of a curse. Particularly when it comes to stoic sand-nin...


**Title: **_Summer Sonota__  
_**Author: **_AkizukiSakura__  
_**Pairing(s):**_ GaaNaru__  
_**Spoilers/Warnings: **_As with anything I write, I make the assumption that you're caught up on the manga scanlations. __However, I rarely specifically reference events that haven't at least happened in the anime. Read at your own risk.__  
_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own _Naruto _or _Naruto: Shippuden._ I make no monetary profit from the writing and posting of this, or any, fanfiction.__  
_**No****tes: **_Interestingly enough, this story had initially started out with Gaara watching Temari and Sh__i__kamaru kiss and wondering what all the fuss was about. And then it involved into __**this**_. _I hope everyone likes it!_

_This has been languishing on my desktop for several months now. If not for some heavy prodding from _GaarasGothicNinjaSappySue_, it would never have been finished so soon.__ Much love to her!_

**Sonata (n): **In music, a _sonata _literally means a piece _played_ as opposed to a cantata, a piece which is _sung_.

**Summer Sonata**

"That's stupid," Naruto muttered into the suddenly silent room, drumming his fingers idly on the table. He ignored the stares of the other Kages, focusing instead on the black, starry sky through the window. Ugh, had they really been at this so long that it was already _dark_? How lame. Now he understood why Tsunade-baachan was always grumbling about having to go to the Summits – they were _boring_. It wouldn't have been so bad if everyone didn't nitpick about the smallest things.

A sputter on his left indicated that the Tsuchikage had finally gotten over his shock. "_Stupid_?" he asked incredulously, tone rough and disproving. "You think that renegotiating trade routes between the Lands of Wind and Earth is _stupid_?" Naruto winced as the old man's voice rose several decibels. Honestly, why was he even still _alive_ right now? He was so _old_ and _stubborn_.

Naruto sighed irritably. "Why would you need to renegotiate?" he asked, tone patient despite his obvious _im_patience. "You did that last year, and the year before, and the year _before_. What's wrong with the trade route that you have to renegotiate it?" Gaara was staring at him now, expression unreadable as ever. Naruto looked away from mint green eyes and tipped his head back. "We've had the same routes with Sunagakure for _ages_ and it's worked just fine for us."

Gaara coughed slightly, drawing attention away from Naruto. "It _is _true that our treaties with Konohagakure have not changed since our," he winced slightly, "_attack_ in tandem with Orochimaru's forces." The reminder was a sobering one, even for Naruto, who thought of old man Sandaime and the shinobi that had fallen due to Orochimaru's vendetta against Konoha. "However," Gaara continued, tone bland, "we have been Konoha's allies long before the Alliance was ever formed."

Gaara was staring directly at Naruto now. The blonde looked away and crossed his arms in a way that he refused to admit was petulant. "It's been almost five years since the war!" he protested. A hint of a whine crept into his tone and he blushed a little, but stood firm. "Every time you re-negotiate, we sit here for _hours_ and nothing even really changes." Both the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage were glaring at him now – the Mizukage was examining her nails disinterestedly and the Raikage seemed to be anticipating a fight. The silence this time was cold and oppressive.

It was Gaara who thawed first. "It grows late," he said with a very soft sigh. "Temperaments are not what they should be for a mature meeting." The Raikage sat back, looking disappointed. Mei breathed a relieved sigh. Obviously Naruto wasn't the only one chomping at the bit to end tonight's meeting. The Tsuchikage grumped and glared a moment longer at Naruto, who returned the stare serenely. Finally, the old man slammed a hand down on the table.

"Fine," he barked. "I move to retire the meeting for the evening."

"Seconded," Naruto said immediately. There was a shuffle of paperwork as their advisors glided forward to gather the day's notes. Shikamaru was giving Naruto an exasperated look, but the blonde didn't care. _Finally _they could be done for the day. If he'd had to sit through one more negotiation between the stubborn Tsuchikage and the equally obstinate Kazekage, he would have _screamed_. Gaara was his very dear friend, but he would have happily taped the other Kage's mouth shut before listening to them debate again.

He could feel Gaara's eyes on him as he got stiffly to his feet. How he knew it was Gaara he would never know. Maybe it had something to do with the bond between Jinchuuriki or something, who knew?

A hand settled on his shoulder and he jumped, turning abruptly to find Gaara standing in front of him. Somehow they'd been left alone in the room, though Naruto knew Shikamaru and Baki, Gaara's advisor, were just outside the door. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but Gaara beat him to it.

"I know what you are trying to do, Naruto," he said flatly.

Naruto forced a grin onto his tired features. "Doesn't everyone?" he asked cheerfully. "I'm _trying _to make the meetings end sometime before midnight every day." The smile turned wry. "My attention span's gotten longer since becoming Hokage, but it's not _that _long!"

The grip on his shoulder tightened enough that Naruto winced. "As long as you and I have known each other, it always amazes me that you think you can lie to me," Gaara stated. To anyone else, his tone would have been utterly bland – but Naruto knew Gaara well enough that he could hear the undertone of disappointment in that soft voice. The hand left his shoulder and Naruto stepped back.

"Why do you think I'm lying?" he asked softly. "Is it really so strange that I'd rather spend time with everyone as friends instead of sitting on formality as Kages?" Gaara blinked once and Naruto recognized the gesture as surprise.

"It is not…strange. But I know you. I have known you for a long time, and we are the same," Gaara said finally. "You say that you wish to spend more time with your friends, instead of debating, and yet… Nearly everything you have said this evening is in my defense. I am not helpless, Naruto."

The blonde shook his head. "It's late, Gaara," he said tiredly. As if to punctuate his words, he yawned widely enough that small tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. He rubbed them away. "Don't forget about tomorrow, okay?"

The redhead sighed. "I will not forget," he promised. His tone said that he was displeased with the way Naruto had avoided the subject, but the blonde avoided his friend's knowing green gaze. Instead, the Rokudaime simply grinned at him and left with Shikamaru. Baki watched them go and turned to Gaara, eyebrows raised. Gaara shook his head and hoisted his gourd onto his back. They weren't supposed to have weapons in the Summits but, as Gaara had demonstrated long ago, the sand would not allow him to be alone.

"Naruto has invited us to the beach tomorrow," he explained shortly. He hesitated and then added, somewhat apologetically, "I hope you did not have other plans…?" Baki would, of course, be required to stay near Gaara in case anyone dared to attack the Kages at the beach.

His old sensei smiled faintly and reached out, settling a careful hand on the Kazekage's shoulder. The lithe form tensed a little under the touch, but Gaara did not brush the hand aside. Baki inclined his head gravely. "I will be there," he assured Gaara.

* * *

Despite the fact that Sunagakure was much hotter in the summer, Gaara found himself wilting a little in the surrounding heat. His only respite from the harsh sunlight was the ridiculously large umbrella providing a modicum of shade and blessed coolness. The umbrella was big enough for his siblings to sit with him, and they had for some time before Temari went off with the Hokage's adviser. Kankurou had gone soon after, muttering something about 'candy' and 'eyes'. The meaning of Kankurou's words still eluded him.

His gourd rested against the steel pole of the parasol, leaving his back burden-free for the time being. He wasn't completely certain as to why he'd even brought his gourd to this beach, but he thought it might be because the chakra-imbued sand he'd carried for so long required less effort to manipulate. He refused to consider Kankurou's teasing comments about it being like a _security __blanket._

Idly, the Godaime Kazekage scooped up a handful of sand, marveling at the silky texture and pale color; a paleness that was only emphasized by his sun-tinted skin. He had only ever been to the beach once, and that had been for a mission, and all he remembered about the sand _there_ was that it crushed his enemies just as easily as the grains he carried in his gourd. Looking at the handful he held now, he thought that he wouldn't want to use this sand in battle; something about it seemed pure, and he didn't want to ruin that.

He opened his hand and let the merciful sea breeze carry the soft sand away, closing his eyes briefly to savor that small bit of coolness. This year's Kage Summit was being held on Crescent Moon Island, per the Hokage's request; last year had been the snowy reaches of Mifune's home, so Gaara wasn't exactly complaining. He dealt with heat much easier than he did snow and ice.

"Oi, Gaara, what are you hiding under the umbrella for? Come swimming with us."

The brash voice broke into his musings, shattering the small bubble of silence he'd been enjoying. He opened his eyes, held back a sigh, and met laughing blue eyes in an open face that was, impossibly, even darker than Gaara's. Though Gaara lived in a desert, Naruto was naturally tan and, in the sun, he simply tanned _more._ Gaara was lucky if his skin didn't burn. "I do not enjoy immersing myself in the water, Naruto," he said flatly. Why had he agreed to come to the beach today, again?

"Why not?" the blonde asked, seeming genuinely confused. "It's perfect on a hot day. Why do you think I wanted to come here this year?" The Kage Summits were held every year during the first two weeks of summer and tended to rotate between the shinobi nations and the Land of Iron. Naruto, unsurprisingly, had broken that pattern and insisted upon visiting Crescent Moon Island. The other Kages were learning something that Gaara had known for a very long time: when Naruto got the bit between his teeth, there was no arguing with him – last night had been an excellent display of Uzumaki's stubbornness.

Gaara watched the Rokudaime scratch one whiskered cheek, taking in the blonde's appearance as Naruto rambled. Naruto, like Gaara and most of the other young men on the beach, wore long shorts of a water-resistant, swishy material. As was typical of the blonde, the shorts were a bright orange color that was eye-smarting in the sunlight. His blue-green crystal pendant glittered noticeably in the sunlight, drawing attention to a well-toned chest and guiding the eye down a long torso to sculpted abs and the dark swirl of Naruto's seal. As tended to happen on those rare occasions that Gaara saw his friend wandering around shirtless, a peculiar feeling swept over him.

Kankurou had suggested that perhaps he was jealous of Naruto's physique. The idea would have had merit had Gaara actually cared about his own appearance; and, anyway, he had been working on his taijutsu ever since Akatsuki had captured him seven years ago. He would probably never be as muscled as Naruto, but nor was he as scrawny as he had once been. As it was, he still had no idea what to call the odd feeling.

"My sand does not mix well with water," Gaara stated after a moment, interrupting Naruto halfway through his recital of the various games one could play on the beach; never mind that Gaara did not know how to 'play'. His statement silenced the blonde for several long moments before the other Kage shrugged and plopped down carelessly beside him, legs bent and arms thrown languidly over his raised knees. Gaara blinked once, finding that Naruto was suddenly fixing him with a very serious expression.

"You know, Gaara... This beach is private," he began, to which Gaara nodded. Naruto's suggestion that the summit be held at the beach had initially been met with denials and fierce questions of how to keep the Kages protected. Temari had been particularly vocal about the subject, knowing that sand was the Kazekage's main line of defense and that water could hinder him, but the promise of a private beach had mitigated her vehement opposition; and Naruto had reminded everyone that, even with the water, the beach also had _sand _and Gaara would undeniably have the advantage.

"And there's plenty of sand around here that isn't in the water that you could use, if anyone actually got past Kakashi-sensei and Baki-sensei and Temari-san and..." He went on to list, by name, each of the Jounin shinobi that were guarding them, including those from the other nations. He even knew the names of Mifune's elite samurai. It was a _long_ list, and Gaara found himself idly impressed that Naruto knew them all, particularly because he knew that Naruto would have learned them by face and deed, not rote memorization.

"And besides, anyone who wanted to hurt _you _would have to go through me first," the blonde finished exuberantly, flashing the redhead an easy, confident grin. Gaara's thoughts slid to an uncomfortable halt. He wasn't sure what about that statement had prompted his sudden lack of mental function, or even if it was the comment at all. For all Gaara knew, it could be the smile, though it certainly wasn't the first time he'd ever seen the Rokudaime smile. Naruto was staring at him now, obviously awaiting some sort of reply, and the tell-tale heat of a blush warmed Gaara's cheeks just slightly. Abruptly, the Kazekage climbed to his feet and ducked out of the protective shade of the parasol, squinting a little in the harsh sunlight. He glanced over his shoulder at Naruto and tilted his head.

"Are you coming?" he questioned genially, and hid a small smile as his friend scrambled gracelessly to his feet and promptly smacked his head on the parasol. Naruto grumbled something under his breath that Gaara chose to ignore. He was fairly certain it was anatomically impossible to do such things with a parasol anyway.

* * *

Sakura had been surprised when she'd tugged off her T-shirt to reveal a white bikini decorated with her namesake and Naruto had not stared at her at all. She was suspicious when she handed him a bottle of lotion to prevent sunburn and asked him to get her back, because his movements were clinical as he smeared the fragrant ointment on her skin and his attention seemed elsewhere. It seemed like he was searching for someone, but his excitement was akin to how it used to be when he would ask her for a date. No matter how many times she turned him down, he was always atwitter when he asked her again.

When his face lit up with a huge smile, she instantly glanced in the direction he was looking. It seemed that he was watching Temari-san. The woman was beautiful, and her figure was admittedly more buxom that Sakura's own, made even more obvious by the simple black one-piece the Suna kunoichi wore. Sakura had never grown much of a bust, though she was certainly curvier than she had once been, but compared to the blonde woman... A pang of sadness swept through her. It hurt to know that her adamant refusal to give up on Sasuke had crumbled her chances with the man that Naruto had become.

She was about to suggest that Naruto take the lotion to Temari and offer his services when Shikamaru meandered over to the parasol and gave the sand siblings a lazy smile. They conversed for a few moments before Shikamaru bowed to the Kazekage and offered his arm to Temari, who rolled her eyes and punched him in the shoulder instead of taking his arm. Shikamaru shrugged, said something else, and the couple wandered off. Sakura glanced at Naruto, gauging his reaction. The Hokage didn't seem upset in the least that Temari had left with his adviser. In fact, his gaze hadn't strayed in the slightest.

As Kankurou, too, left his brother, enlightenment struck Sakura like the blast from a stray exploding tag. For whatever reason, Naruto's radiant smile was for _Gaara._ Momentarily floored by the realization, Sakura could only nod mutely when Naruto told her he was going to talk to Gaara for a bit. As the blonde loped off, Sakura sank down onto the blanket, tipped her face up to the sky, and closed her eyes. She couldn't decide how she felt about this new revelation. There was relief, to know that Naruto didn't look at her not because she had driven him away, but because he had always been looking elsewhere. It would certainly explain his adamant refusal to give up on Sasuke.

Even so, knowing that she'd never had a chance to begin with left a sour taste in her mouth.

She didn't know that tears had slipped down her cheeks until fingers lightly brushed her skin. Startled, she opened her eyes and found herself staring up at Kankurou. Without his face paint and hood, he looked a lot like his brother, she realized. Black swim shorts displayed a muscled figure, which surprised her a little. Kankurou's battle strategy was medium-to-long-ranged, yet he was muscled like a short-ranged taijutsu fighter. Interesting.

"Pretty girls shouldn't cry, Haruno-san," he said, giving her a smile. She looked away, embarrassed to be caught at less than her best, but when he didn't say anything else she chanced a glance at him again. He was staring, not at her, but at Naruto, who was sitting down next to the Kazekage. After several long minutes, Gaara emerged from the shade of the umbrella, Naruto close behind him. Kankurou's eyes narrowed a little, but he turned away, offering a hand down to Sakura. "C'mon, Haruno-san. Lemme buy you some ice cream."

Sakura hesitated for a moment, wondering about the look Kankurou had directed at the two Kages, before she accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. To her surprise, he didn't immediately drop her hand. When she glanced at their linked fingers and then at him, eyebrow raised, he raised one of his own in a silent challenge. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks and she looked away, but didn't let go of his hand. She saw his smile from the corner of her eye and, just to let him know it wouldn't be so easy, she stuck her tongue at him, which only served to make him smile wider. "So, where's this ice cream you're promising?" she prodded, forcing her thoughts away from Naruto.

Kankurou gave her hand a gentle tug to get her to walk with him. "Found it on the boardwalk yesterday," he explained. "Temari was dragging me and Gaara around all over the place." He sniffed slightly. "I'm glad your lazy friend came with the Konoha delegation, otherwise we'd be stuck with her today, too." Sakura couldn't suppress the urge to giggle, and the sound seemed to please the Suna shinobi. "See? I'm not so bad," he jibed.

"I never said you were," the kunoichi remarked blithely. "I never even implied it." She eyed him sidelong, noting his easygoing smile. He was a lot different from when she'd first met him, back just before the chuunin exams; he'd been arrogant, then and weighed down by the burden of a homicidal brother. Now he was much mellower, even _nice_. She wasn't ashamed to admit that she rather liked the change. Their walk was mostly silent after that, but the lack of conversation wasn't awkward. In spite of their silence, Kankurou did not seem to regret walking with her, even though they passed plenty of pretty girls along the way. For some reason, this fact pleased Sakura.

The ice cream parlor was a small building with a brightly-colored awning sandwiched between a bakery and a trinket shop, and it was absolutely _jam-packed _with people. On this hot day, Sakura supposed she really shouldn't be surprised. Happily enough, the shop had plenty of outdoor seating and benches dotted the boardwalk everywhere. She and Kankurou chose to sit on one of the benches overlooking the water. Sakura licked her ice-cream – strawberry-flavored, it was – and sighed faintly. Kankurou, busily devouring a chocolate-vanilla mix, made a questioning sound. She hesitated, dabbing a drop of melted ice cream from her hand with a napkin.

"Just thinking," she said finally, and would have left it at that had he not raised his eyebrows at her again, this time in invitation. "I was really immature as a kid," she explained, gazing out over the water; blue, like the eyes of the Hokage. The stray thought did little to cheer her up. "I did some really stupid things. And now I'm wondering if those mistakes will always haunt me."

Kankurou declined the napkin she offered him, choosing to lick his fingers clean. "You're talking about Naruto," he stated, and it wasn't a question. Sakura didn't bother affirming his words and he leaned back, draping his arms over the back of the bench. His fingers brushed her bare shoulders and she shot him a look, but he ignored it. "You think you spent so much time chasing Uchiha that you missed how Naruto grew up, and now that you've noticed him, he's moved on to someone else." Something about the way Kankurou phrased that statement made Sakura look at him. _Really _look at him.

"Yeah," she said after a moment. "You know who that someone is, don't you?" And though she phrased it as a question, and added the proper lilt to the sentence to make it a question, it was more out of obligation than anything – she knew the answer as sure as she knew her own name.

A curt nod was his response, and the cone in his hand cracked a little as his fingers curled into a fist. "I'll tell you something, Haruno-san," he said, and looked her straight in the eyes. "I like you. I asked you out because you looked like you needed cheering up and I was happy to oblige, but I want you to pass something on to the Hokage for me." His eyes narrowed and his lips pulled down into a frown that was almost menacing. "My brother's been through a lot. If your Hokage hurts him in any way, you can consider it a declaration of war. Temari and I, we don't take kindly to that sort of thing."

Sakura met that stare, hesitated, and then firmed her resolve. "Then you should know the threat works both ways, Kankurou-san," she replied curtly. For a long moment they glared at each other, and then Kankurou relaxed, tossing his crushed ice cream cone into a nearby garbage receptacle.

"Great!" he announced, shockingly cheerful again. "With that out of the way, how about I show you this cool wood-working shop we found yesterday?" At her expression, he chuckled. "No, it's not a puppet shop. It's more little trinkets than anything." He got to his feet and offered a hand again. His expression was jovial, but somehow she thought that accepting his hand this time wasn't quite the same as the last time. She stared at it for several long moments, and then put her palm in his. He smiled sincerely at her and led her away.

* * *

Naruto grinned, noting the apprehensive look Gaara was giving the ball in the blonde's hands. Convincing the stoic Kazekage to play a game of beach volleyball had been a chore and a half, particularly when Naruto had explained that using his sand would be cheating. After a basic demonstration on the different ways to hit the ball, and a brief description of the rules, Naruto led Gaara to the net already set up and ducked under it, waving at Neji and Lee to come over. Neji rolled his eyes as Lee jumped to his feet, shouting happily, and followed at a considerably more sedate pace than his teammate.

Seeing as how Naruto knew that Gaara's weak point was taijutsu, he'd decided to team up with Neji and let Lee cover Gaara. The redhead was cautiously watching Lee now and, belatedly, Naruto remembered that Gaara had never really let go of his guilt towards Bushy Brows. He was about to suggest that they swap teammates after all, but Neji chose that moment to pluck the ball from Naruto's hands. He tossed it into the air and gave it a powerful smack that sent it sailing over the net. Lee dashed toward it, dove, and knocked the ball airborne again. It wasn't quite enough force to send it over the net.

About to relax, Naruto caught a blue of movement followed by the tell-tale sound of a hand striking the volleyball. "Whoa!" he said before he could catch himself, ducking as something whizzed directly toward his head. He turned and stared at the ball half-buried in the ground, then turned back to see Gaara offering a hand to help Lee up. "Damn, Gaara! Nice spike!" he praised, but his gaze was on the hand that Lee was still holding.

Something…something _odd _filled Naruto at the sight, and it was enough to make the smile on his face dim a little. Gaara nodded once, obviously accepting the compliment, and rubbed the red mark on his wrist where he'd presumably struck the ball a little awkwardly.

"It was indeed a most magnificent strike, Gaara-kun!" Lee shouted, shoving one fist joyously into the air. "A truly exquisite example of the power of youth exploding!"

Gaara raised his brows at Lee but said nothing for the time being, instead turning to Naruto. "I believe it is our serve?" he asked mildly. From anyone else, the small smile on his features would have been smug, but Naruto knew better. Gaara was actually enjoying himself, though he'd probably never admit it, and that knowledge was enough to bring a smile back to his face. He tossed the ball under the net and glanced over his shoulder at Neji, noting with some surprise that the brunette was in the process of tying his long hair back in a high ponytail.

Catching Naruto's curious look, he shrugged. "I didn't expect the Kazekage to play so hard." A faint glitter entered his eyes as he looked at the redhead, and then he turned his milky eyes back to Naruto. "I am not accustomed to losing, Naruto," he stated, and Naruto knew that was the stoic Hyuuga's way of getting into things. He shook his head, but he was still smiling. Summertime at the beach seemed to be a good way to get his teammates to loosen up a little.

"_Yoooosh_! I am serving now!" Lee announced.

Naruto turned his attention back to the game, crouching a little and licking his lips. Gaara, standing opposite him, mimicked his posture. It was hard to ignore the fact that a shirtless Gaara was standing almost directly in his line of sight, though such a thing hadn't ever bothered him before. He pulled his thoughts away from his friend in time for Lee to serve the ball. Naruto watched its trajectory and ducked, knowing that Neji would back him up and, hopefully, set the ball up for a spike. The brunette did and Naruto leaped into action, slamming the ball downward. He expected Gaara to go for it, but he didn't expect the Kazekage to casually toss aside his customary dignity to _dive _for it.

The ball went flying and Lee darted forward to bump it back to Gaara, who caught the ball oddly on his fist and sent it skittering out of bounds. Lee bounded cheerfully after it, leaving Naruto to raise his eyebrows at Gaara. The redhead brushed sweaty hair out of his eyes, briefly revealing his scar before the wet strands clung stubbornly to his forehead again. Naruto pulled his thoughts away once again, somewhat disconcerted by how easily his mind was being led astray. Usually a competition overrode any other thoughts in his head.

Lee jogged back over, tossing the ball to Naruto so that he could serve. As he and Neji changed places, he noticed that Gaara was watching him strangely. He licked his lips again, tasting salt and wrinkling his nose a little. This game was definitely turning out to be more interesting than he'd thought it would be; who knew Gaara even _had_ a competitive streak?

In the end, Naruto and Neji won, but it was an extremely close game; only a lucky save on the winning point by Naruto gave them the victory. He grinned at Neji, who gave him a curt nod and took the ball to the ocean to wash the sand off. Naruto turned back to Gaara, opening his mouth to congratulate his friend on the close game, but Lee beat him to it.

"That was a most empowering visage, Gaara-kun!" he bubbled excitedly, cheeks red. Naruto thought that the exuberant jounin was simply overheated, but a closer look revealed the tell-tale signs of a blush. Naruto stared, flabbergasted, as Lee chattered at Gaara. Lee was always exuberant, loud, and even more of a chatterbox than Naruto, but this was somewhat ridiculous. A brief silence brought Naruto's attention back to the Kazekage, who was looking somewhat unsure. Lee's expression indicated that he'd just asked Gaara a question, and for whatever reason the redhead hadn't immediately answered it. When he did, Naruto almost gaped.

"…what did you have in mind for this 'outing', Lee-san?" Gaara's tone was polite, as it always was, but he seemed to hesitate just a little bit. Naruto stared at him, shocked, and then looked at Lee, who was tinged a faint pink. _Good gods, Bushy Brows is asking him on a _date. Naruto realized.

As if to highlight his discovery, Lee bounced animatedly on his heels. "There is a lovely dango shop on the boardwalk, Gaara-kun! Gai-sensei and I discovered it on our dawn jog."

"Gaara doesn't like sweets," Naruto blurted suddenly. Both young men looked at him and he felt the tell-tale heat of a blush sweep across his cheeks. "Uh, it's just, I remember talking to him once and he said that, and–"

"And I am also standing right _here_, Naruto," Gaara interrupted smoothly. Naruto flinched at the look his friend was giving him. The Kazekage frowned mildly at the blonde and raised a hand, flicking his fingers. Across the beach, his gourd dissolved and the sand flowed smoothly over to reform on his back, tendrils wrapping around his chest in lieu of his usual vest.

"While the thought is…appreciated," and the pause made it clear that Gaara was being diplomatic, rather than honest, "I do _not_ need a babysitter." He turned away from Naruto to address Lee and that movement, more than his words, sent a pang through Naruto that he couldn't explain.

He was so wrapped up in his confused thoughts that he missed the rest of the conversation between Lee and Gaara, but he snapped back to the present when Lee waved and bounded off. Gaara folded his arms and stared levelly at Naruto, who fidgeted and looked away. He started when smooth fingers caught his chin and turned his face so that he _had_ to look at his friend. As he'd expected, the redhead did not look pleased.

"I do not know what you are thinking lately, Naruto," he stated, meeting Naruto's eyes squarely. Naruto knew he was talking about the meeting last night, too. "You seem to forget that I am not weak. I do not need your misguided attempts at protection." Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but the Kazekage's other hand came up to cover his lips, shutting him up. "Do _not _insult me by trying to lie to me. Of all of my friends, you are the one I can most easily read. You will cease these actions." His tone brooked no room for argument, and it was only when Naruto nodded that he dropped his hands.

"_Gaara_," Naruto began, but the other man stepped back and turned away.

"I will see you tomorrow at the meeting, Rokudaime," he said clinically, and walked away.

Naruto watched him go, feeling as though something important was dangling just out of his reach. Why did it hurt so much for Gaara to brush him off like that? Was that how it had felt for Gaara, all those years ago in the Land of Iron? Naruto realized that he _still _needed to apologize for that.

Hell, Naruto needed to just sit down and _think_.

On second thought, Naruto needed to talk to Sakura. Thinking on his own was not his strongest suit, but Sakura always made sense. It would be worth listening to her heartless quips and insults if he could put his muddled thoughts in some semblance of order.

* * *

Luckily, Sakura was in her room in the hotel when Naruto went searching for her. She opened the door almost immediately after his first knock. He blinked at her. Sakura looked breathless, and her hair was wet. A glance past her revealed a towel on the floor and the bathroom light was on. He realized she'd just taken a shower and, from the haphazard way her fluffy bathrobe hung on her, he'd caught her while she was drying off. The thought of a semi-naked Sakura didn't make him blush the way he thought it would, which only served to confuse him further.

"Naruto?" she said, breaking into his thought. Her eyebrows were raised. "I said you can come in."

He started visibly and met concerned green eyes. Green eyes that were so much like… He swallowed and walked into the room, fidgeting as she shut the door and strode over to the desk and mirror. To his surprise, he saw various cosmetics laid out on the teak surface. When had Sakura-chan started wearing makeup?

Slender fingers snapped in front of his eyes, bringing his thoughts back to the present. "Huh?" he asked succinctly, and she rolled her eyes.

"I _said_, what did you need? You're even more spacey than usual today, Naruto." When he didn't immediately start flailing and protesting, she propped her hands on her hips and stared at him in silence. He jumped when she pressed a hand to his shoulder and applied pressure, making him drop abruptly into a chair. She sat on her bed and gave him her full attention. "Naruto, tell me what's wrong."

He sighed, slumping over in the chair. "Sakura-chan… Is it…_bad_, to like another guy?"

Sakura blinked. "You mean…like Gaara?" she asked cautiously.

Naruto's head shot up, blue eyes wide and surprised. "H-how did you…? I didn't even…"

"It's sort of…written all over your face when you talk about him," the kunoichi replied, staring down at her hands. "When we were little, it was just sort of a once-in-a-while thing. And then Gaara, um, died, and you were so _angry _and so _sad_. Even more than you were when Sasuke…left."

"But…but I really like…you…" Naruto trailed off and looked down at the floor, avoiding her eyes.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Naruto, you stopped asking me for dates right after the chuunin exams. And when you came back from training with Jiraiya-sensei, you didn't ask me _once_. Even when I said…what I said in the Land of Iron, you knew I was lying because you didn't feel that way for me anymore. Right?"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sakura pressed her hand over his lips, effectively cutting him off. "Look," she said with a sigh. "It's obvious to everyone that you really, really care for Gaara. What you have to decide is _how_ you care for him. When he's around, are you happy? And when he's gone, are you sad? Do you think about him at odd moments?" Naruto blinked at her and she continued, staring him straight in the eyes. "Thoughts of him make your heart pound, right? And you see things about him that you'd never really noticed before." Slowly, she took her hand away.

"Sakura-chan…you…?" Why hadn't he noticed it before now? If what Sakura was saying was true, she'd felt like that for a long time, and her actions made it clear that _he _was the one she'd liked. _But I would have realized it!_ he thought, flabbergasted. He hesitated. _Wouldn't I have…?_ But now that he thought about it, he wasn't so sure. He tried to remember the last time thoughts of Sakura had sent his heart racing and couldn't. He thought of kissing her, the way he used to as a kid, but felt nothing.

In his mind, her image warped until his fingers were buried in soft, feathery red curls instead of pink. The lips under his were thinner, and a little chapped. The eyes were still green, but narrower and rimmed in black.

Startled, he pulled himself out of the mental images, pressing a hand to his chest. His heart was pounding. He looked up to find that Sakura was giving him a steady, knowing look.

"You see?" she asked softly. "I wanted to say something a long time ago," she admitted, brushing a hand through her wet hair. "Because, you know, what if something happens? You're the Hokage now, and he's the Kazekage. What would happen if you two had a fight? What about Konoha." A sad smile crossed her lips. "I'd hoped that…I could maybe…make you happy. But whenever you see Gaara, it's like the sun has just risen on your world. You get this look in your eyes, just like Shikamaru does when he sees Temari."

She took his hand, lightly stroking his fingers, and Naruto was upset to realize that those were _tears_ rolling down her cheeks. "It's that look that says you've just had the love of your life come back to you." She rubbed her free hand over her cheeks, but the tears kept flowing. "Sorry… I just can't shake the bitterness, you know? I'm so stupid. I spent all that time longing for Sasuke that I didn't even _notice_ how much you'd grown from the kid I first knew."

"Sakura-chan…" He tugged on her hand, pulling the startled young woman into a hug. She tensed but he didn't let go. "I'm…really sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't know." The girl relaxed a little and curled her arms around him, squeezed once, and pulled away.

"Don't worry about it," she ordered, getting to her feet and wiping her eyes on the terrycloth sleeve of her robe. "I love you very much, and I always will. You're my best friend, remember?" She picked up a hairbrush and ran it through her hair. "So. Now that you know, you should make sure you tell him before you end up like me, crying over your regrets."

Naruto watched her fix her hair and makeup in silence, considering he words. "He's on a date with Lee," he said finally, crossing his arms. "I…might have upset him. He thinks I'm trying to protect him, and I guess that's what I thought I was doing, but…"

"You're jealous," Sakura said matter-of-factly, walking into the bathroom to change. "It's pretty normal, actually. But, Naruto, you can't really chase people away from him." She emerged in a red-and-white halter dress. "It's normal for one person in a relationship to be jealous when someone approached their significant other, but you and Gaara aren't together, so you can't do that."

She raised her eyebrows at him and he frowned. "So, until you tell him how you feel and see if he returns those feelings, then you can't really say anything. How do I look?"

Naruto blinked at her, surprised by the sudden subject change. "Uh…really good?" he said finally, though it came out more as a question. She _did _look good, but that wasn't the point. "Are you going somewhere, Sakura-chan?" She opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment there came a knock at the door. She flushed a little and walked over to the door, pulling it open. To Naruto's surprise, Kankurou stood there.

He wasn't wearing his face paint or hood. Naruto scratched his cheek thoughtfully. The sand shinobi actually looked…pretty good. Kankurou smiled at Sakura. "Sorry, I'm early," he said. "I didn't know you'd be entertaining the Hokage."

Naruto got hastily to his feet, smoothing his long red coat down. "It's okay, I was just leaving," he said. He walked over and gave Sakura a one-armed hug. "Have fun, okay? I'm…going to go find Gaara."

She punched him affectionately on the shoulder. "Good luck, knucklehead."

* * *

He _said _he was going to go find Gaara and talk to him but, as it turned out, it wasn't really that easy. Naruto wandered the lantern-lit boardwalk, dressed casually in soft black pants and a bright orange shirt. He'd forgone his hitaite and Hokage jacket in order to not stand out as much. He was trying to find Gaara, but since Gaara was supposed to be on a date… It was relatively dark, so most people didn't see the orange shadows around his eyes that signified Sage Mode.

Maybe it was stupid, but Naruto could sense people better in Sage Mode, and it was less conspicuous than his Kyuubi mode, what with the glowing gold aura and all.

If he was honest with himself, Naruto _knew_ he should wait until tomorrow to talk to Gaara, rather than snooping on his date with Lee, but he couldn't help it. Lee was sweet and all, but over-exuberant and, well, loud. Louder even than Naruto, and that was _sayin__g_ something. Naruto wasn't going to, like, crash the date or anything. He just…wanted to keep an eye on Gaara.

The little voice inside his head – the one that sounded like Sakura – told him to at least call a spade a spade, but he ignored it, winding through the streets and ducking around the passers-by automatically. Preparations for tomorrow's festival were already underway but, though he'd initially been really excited to find that the ruler of Crescent Moon Island was having the festival just for the visiting Kages, all he could think about right now was Gaara. Would Lee ask Gaara to the festival? Would someone else?

He scowled darkly, ignoring the people that got hastily out of his way when they saw his expression. What if Gaara didn't spend any time with him at all? Oh gods, what if he'd totally messed everything up this afternoon?!

Naruto might have panicked a little more if not for the fact that, at last, he felt the familiar chakra signature of the Kazekage. He released the natural energy he'd stored up, letting the orange fade from his eyes as he meandered in the direction he'd felt Gaara. He didn't want to make his presence known, but if he _did _run into Gaara, the last thing he wanted to do was try to explain why he was using Sage Mode. As it was, Gaara was smart enough to figure it out on his own.

When at last Naruto found Gaara, he and Lee were sitting in a small tea shop, drinking tea and sharing several sticks of dango. Naruto glanced around swiftly and leapt onto the roof of the building across from the shop, settling in the shadows to watch. As expected, Lee was being boisterous, but a glance at Gaara showed that the Kazekage looked as cool as a cucumber. Like Naruto, Gaara had forgone his usual Kage robes, settling instead for his maroon coat. Uncomfortably, Naruto realized that his gourd was nowhere in sight.

It took every ounce of willpower Naruto possessed to keep from leaping down and scolding his fellow Kage. What if they were attacked? Yeah, Lee was an excellent shinobi, but that didn't mean Gaara could just leave his sand at home! He clenched his fists in his lap and forced himself to calm down. Just because he couldn't see the sand didn't mean that it wasn't there. Maybe the gourd was just…tucked in a corner somewhere, safely out of the way. Yeah, that was it.

Slowly, he relaxed again, turning his attention back to Gaara. The redhead looked…well, not happy, but less tense than he had earlier. The tiny lines around his eyes and mouth had smoothed away and, for once, the Kazekage looked like someone who was in his early twenties rather than someone in his late sixties. It was a nice change, but the fact that it was Lee who was able to do it made Naruto's heart sink.

The blonde looked away, tipping his head back to stare up at the sky. Here and there a few of the brighter stars shone, but most were drowned out by the multitude of lanterns that lit the streets below. He blew out a soft sigh, cradling his knees to his chest and closing his eyes to think.

If Lee really was the one that could make Gaara happy, should Naruto really step between them? His instincts, heightened by the fox lumbering in its cage inside his mind, demanded that he claim what he wanted and damn the consequences. But Naruto was a human, not a fox demon, and he was also the Hokage. He couldn't allow the relations between Suna and Konoha to go sour just because he didn't want to accept that Gaara was _happy _with Lee.

Logic told him that he should just ignore his feelings for the good of Konoha, but when had he _ever_ done that? For his whole life he'd been told to put the village before his own personal feelings. They had said that about Sasuke and, even though the teme had ended up attacking all the Kage and had killed the temporary Hokage and almost killed Naruto at _l__east _three times…okay, maybe that was a bad example.

He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he completely missed the silky slithering of sand on wood that heralded the arrival on one Sabaku no Gaara. It wasn't until fingers drifted lightly over his cheeks that he opened his eyes, startled, and met mint green. He froze. _Shit_. Gaara withdrew the hand, crossing his arms and giving Naruto a plain, flat stare.

"You were spying on me," he said. From anyone else, it was an accusation – from Gaara, it was a simple statement of fact. His eyes bore no anger and his expression was blank, but Naruto knew that meant nothing.

He startled to babble something – he wasn't sure what – but the redhead's words from last night's meeting stopped him.

_As long as you and__ I have known each other, it always amazes me that you think you can lie to me,_

He stopped, sighed, and got to his feet. "Yeah, I was," he admitted. Green eyes widened just a little bit. Naruto knew he'd surprised his friend, but it was in the softening of Gaara's expression that Naruto found hope that he hadn't completely screwed everything up. He tucked his arms behind his head casually and looked up at the sky again. Part of him knew he was emulating Shikamaru, which was kind of weird, but whatever.

"I had a talk with Sakura earlier," he commented breezily.

"…what did Haruno-san have to say?" Gaara asked when Naruto said nothing after that. Naruto was often scatterbrained, but he rarely said anything without a point.

Naruto looked at him and smiled. "She said I need to stop being an idiot. And I really have been an idiot lately, huh?" He shuffled a little in place but didn't look away from the Kazekage. "An unobservant idiot… I even made Sakura-chan cry, just by not knowing."

Slowly, Gaara's arms dropped to his sides, losing the defensive posture. "…Naruto?" he asked, concern creeping into his tone.

"She liked me, you know," Naruto continued. "Well, I liked her first. Or, I thought I did." Blue eyes flicked over to the Kazekage, briefly, and then skittered away. "But then I met you. And you and I, well, we're so alike. It was the first time that I'd known anyone like me, and it was…nice. Before I knew it, I started thinking about you more and her less."

The blonde was fidgeting now, and he was still not looking at Gaara. Saying all this was hard enough – if he looked at his friend and saw rejection, he wasn't sure he'd be able to say it all. So he rushed on. "I was so worried when we got the missive that you'd been kidnapped, 'cos you know, you were my friend. And when they _sat _on you like you were _nothing_, I…" His fingers curled into fists and he had to take a moment to subdue the fresh bout of anger those memories dredged up.

He flinched when a hand settled on his shoulder and chanced a glance at Gaara. The other shinobi was watching him, quietly lending strength through such a simple touch. Naruto could remember the other time Gaara had tried to be a good friend. Slowly, he raised his hand. Gaara's eyes tracked the moment and Naruto could tell that he, too, was remembering. He hesitated, then covered Gaara's hand with his.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I was spying on you and Bushy Brows because I was jealous as hell that he got there first, and I wanted to know if you, you know, liked him at all and if I had the chance I was gonna ask if you maybe wanted to go to the festival tomorrow night with me?" he babbled all in one breath.

For the longest time, Gaara said nothing, and Naruto rushed on. "You don't have to, of course, if you had…someone else in mind, or if you're busy, 'cos you definitely work _way _harder than I do, and–"

"Naruto?" Gaara said, cutting the blonde off.

Naruto gulped and looked up. Gaara was…smiling. It wasn't a very big smile, but it was a _real _smile, and that was what mattered. "Yeah?"

The hand on his shoulder gave him a reassuring squeeze. "You do not have to run me over with your words," Gaara assured him. "What time should we meet for the festival, and where?"

"Really? You'll go with me?" It was honestly the first time anyone had ever actually accepted his invitation for a date. That it was Gaara who did so, now, was weird – but it still sent a rush of warmth through him that wasn't unpleasant. "Great! Uh, the festival starts at sunset, so I'll come by your room and pick you up…?"

A gravely-inclined head was his answer and Naruto let go of Gaara's hand. The Kazekage hesitated and then, slowly, withdrew his hand as well. "I'm happy that my gesture of goodwill was better received this time," he said in his slow, thoughtful tone. Naruto looked guilty, but Gaara shook his head. "I will see you tomorrow at sunset then, Naruto."

* * *

Gaara stared at himself in the mirror as his sister adjusted the sash on his new yukata. She caught his gaze in the mirror and stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"What?" she asked, smoothing the silk over her little brother's shoulders.

"…I am not confident in my abilities on a…date," he said stiffly, plucking at the black cloth that wrapped his slender form. He had filled out considerably with the removal of Shukaku and upping his taijutsu training, but he would always be short and slender – just like Naruto. Idly, he traced the gold embroidery on his yukata – it bore the same pattern that usually adorned his gourd.

The yukata had been a gift from his siblings some time ago, though he'd never had the opportunity to wear it. That his sister had thought to even bring it... He glanced at Temari. She was fiddling with the ornaments in her hair. The sandy blonde locks were, for once, pinned in a pretty, elegant bun on the back of her head, rather than wrestled into four pigtails.

She looked…pretty, he decided. The deep green kimono she wore accented her eyes nicely, and the rich textures of the bronze obi lent a bit of color to her cheeks. He knew that Shikamaru would be here soon, so he didn't begrudge her the use of his mirror as she spoke, particularly since she'd helped him put the yukata on. "Naruto's pretty dimwitted, but he's sincere," she stated, turning to look at her brother. "I don't think he's expecting anything other than what you two usually do when you visit each other's villages."

Gaara paused and blinked up at his sister. "…you knew," he said softly.

A faint blush rose to her cheeks. "Well, yeah, it was kind of hard to miss, you know? I swear, that idiot would do _anything_ for _any_ of his friends, but the way he reacted when he came to Suna to save you, well… It was a dead giveaway." She shrugged, powerful shoulders rippling under pretty silk. "And he didn't want to let go of you when Chiyo-sama brought you back. And then, in the battle…well…" Another shrug.

"…why is it that it seems everyone knew about this except for us?" Gaara murmured, fingering the maroon sash around his waist idly. Arms curved around his shoulders and, startled, he looked into the mirror to meet his sister's gaze. She smiled at him and gave him a light squeeze. They were not, by nature, physically affectionate siblings. Over time, though, Temari had slowly let some of the rough edges between them be smoothed. Gaara had thanked Naru many times in his thoughts – the Konoha-nin gave his sister the opportunity to show her softer side.

"I guess it's because you two are pretty clueless," she said with a small chuckle. "It's pretty endearing, in an exasperating way. Kankurou wanted to say something, but we decided not to do anything unless relationships went poorly between our villages because you two have some obvious sexual tension."

Gaara blinked, shocked that those words had just come out of his sister's mouth. "T-Temari," he stammered, and was immediately horrified that he'd stuttered. To his annoyance, he found that a faint red tint had splashed over his cheeks to accompany the stutter.

His sister's bright green eyes sparkled at him and she let him go, pressing a small kiss to his forehead. "Don't worry so much, Gaara." She ruffled his hair. "Shikamaru and I are meeting at the festival, so we'll see you later, okay?"

He nodded once and watched her go, then walked across his room to the window to draw the curtains aside. It was almost sunset… Naruto would be here soon and, despite his sister's reassuring words, he was nervous. It was one thing to go to Ichiraku's with Naruto as friends, but this was a _date_. It was _infinitely_ more imperative that he do things right.

Everything that Naruto had said yesterday Gaara could easily turn around and apply to the blonde. His entire life had changed because of a meeting with Konoha's Orange Hurricane, and nearly every subsequent important moment had something to do with the lively blonde. Naruto enabled him to do things he didn't know he could do. Naruto inspired people to think beyond themselves and, in turn, Gaara had managed to get eighty _thousand_ shinobi from nations on…less-than-friendly terms to fight together to defend their lives, just by talking about what Naruto had done for him.

Naruto always undervalued his participation, both in the war and in the lives of not only his villagers but everyone else's. It was one of his charms, but sometimes Gaara just wished he could show Naruto that he was worth more than he thought.

"Oi! Gaara!" Naruto's voice was easily audible through the thin door, as was the enthusiastic way he banged on the door. Gaara flicked his fingers at the door; a hand of sand grabbed the knob and twisted, pulling the door open. Naruto blinked, obviously confused when no one was there, before his bright blue eyes found Gaara. His grin lit up the room. "Hi! Sorry, I'm a little late. I, uh, had some trouble with this." He plucked at the cloth of his yukata.

Gaara's brows rose as he silently took in Naruto's appearance. For once, the Hokage wasn't decked out in an eye-smarting shade of orange. His yukata – silk, like Gaara's – was a pretty blue that reminded Gaara of the recent summer skies. The blonde hadn't completely forgone his trademark color, though – the embroidery on his yukata was his namesake – _Uzumaki _– in his usual orange. The sash was a vivid yellow. "It looks nice," he said simply, walking over to his friend. "The color suits you better than your usual choice," he added, letting a bit of humor color his voice.

Naruto, obviously surprised, gaped at him. "You just made a joke!" he exclaimed, grinning. "I mean, yeah, it was sort of at my expense, but!" He swept his gaze over Gaara in turn, and the Kazekage felt anxiety twist his stomach again. "You look good, too. Well, I mean, you _always_ look good, but today you just look _especially _nice." And he grinned again.

Gaara felt the knot of tension ease. Temari had been right. Naruto didn't expect anything special. It was just the same as always, except that, when he shut the door and turned to his friend, there was warmth in Naruto's blue eyes that was somehow deeper than it had ever been. He basked in that warmth for a moment before gesturing. "Shall we go?"

* * *

"Here," Naruto said, handing Gaara a ceramic cup full of a chilled liquid. When Gaara stared at it, the blonde chuckled. "It's iced tea," he explained, sitting down on the lip of the fountain next to the redhead and sipping from his own cup. He grinned when Gaara frowned down at the cup.

"…why would you serve tea cold?" the redhead wanted to know. "The taste is utterly unappealing. I know this because many a cup of tea has grown cold on my desk as I work."

Naruto nudged his shoulder. "Just try it," he prodded. "It's not green tea, and it's not a tea that you had me try those times when I visited." His friend – his _date_ – stared dubiously at the murky liquid before taking a hesitant sip. He paused and took a slightly bigger sip. "The vendor called it black tea," Naruto said, leaning back a little and taking a swig of his own. "He said that if you add a little sugar to it while it's hot, then put it on ice, it's really good on a hot day. Especially if you squeeze a bit of lemon in it."

"It's…not terrible," Gaara admitted. "Though, perhaps with a bit less sugar next time…"

Naruto hid a smile behind his cup and turned his attention to the square in front of them. People were beginning to gather and a group of musicians had started to set up in one of the corners. Naruto had read on the fliers around the city that the festival would carry on well into the night, climaxing with dances in various parts of the city and ending with a fireworks display. He hadn't said anything to Gaara, though, and Gaara didn't seem to know what was going on until the music started up.

The Kazekage looked around, finally appearing to notice the couples that were converging in the square. Naruto got to his feet and offered a hand down to Gaara with a soft smile. "Dance with me?" he asked quietly. Gaara blinked up at him, stared at the proffered hand, and then back up at Naruto. "I don't have sand to make you grab my hand," the blonde joked, but his tone was gentle and tender.

To Naruto's surprise, Gaara was _blushing_. It wasn't much more than the tiniest hint of red on his cheeks, but it was definitely a blush. Still, Gaara reached out and let Naruto pull him to his feet. They left their cups at the fountain and joined the other couples.

"…I don't know how to dance, Naruto," Gaara admitted quietly.

Naruto slid an arm carefully around his waist and drew him closer. "Just relax," he murmured. "Put your arms around my neck and move with me. I'll show you how." Tentative hands slid up his back, making Naruto shiver, and linked around his neck. "Music has a beat. It can be really subtle, but it's just like the heartbeat of a shinobi's body."

He began to sway to illustrate his point. Gaara was about the same height as him, perhaps a little bit taller, but it meant that neither of them had to stretch uncomfortably to accommodate the other. It also meant that Naruto could meet his silent partner's eyes to search for any discomfort. Gaara didn't look completely relaxed, but he didn't seem to hate it either, so Naruto took comfort in that and began to turn them in slow circles.

"Music is an expression," he continued softly. "Sometimes it's hard to say what you want to say, and music can help." He fell silent after that, letting Gaara dictate the pace of their dancing. Gradually, the redhead relaxed in Naruto's arms. A quick glance around at the other couples indicated that no one was really watching them. Naruto thought he saw Sakura's tell-tale pink hair - pulled up and decorated with pretty combs and beads - and Shikamaru's spiky ponytail, but they seemed occupied with their own dates.

Naruto turned back to Gaara, who was watching him quizzically. He swallowed nervously. "Sometimes even music isn't enough," he murmured. "Sasuke taught me that when you fight, your words aren't needed, and Bee taught me that you can communicate through bumping fists." Gaara was still staring at him in confusion. "But," Naruto continued, raising one hand to brush his fingers over Gaara's chin. The redhead blinked. "I think that maybe I know a different way of showing you what I'm feeling."

He pressed his lips to Gaara's.

The Kazekage went completely rigid and Naruto drew hurriedly back, afraid he'd overstepped a boundary. Gaara was staring at him in shock, but he didn't seem…angry. Just surprised. Slowly, Naruto leaned closer again, lips hovering just over Gaara's.

They both jumped when the first whistle and boom of the start of the fireworks lit the night sky. Naruto glanced up briefly, smiling at the display, and then looked back at Gaara. He laced his fingers with the redhead's and rubbed soothing circles over the sand-nin's knuckles, waiting.

Gaara hesitated for a moment before he looped his free hand around Naruto's neck. "I can see fireworks any day," he said finally. "I think, right now, I am more interesting in sharing these feelings with you," he added softly and tugged Naruto's lips back down to his. For once, the ever-talkative Konoha-nin was silent, putting his lips – and tongue – to more interesting uses.

* * *

_Word Count: 11, 120  
_

_Um, so, this was supposed to be July's fic for my Year of Yaoi series. Er… It's a little late. Like, two weeks. So, uh, my bad. _

_Anyway, this turned out both longer and shorter than I'd expected. And it was sooo hard to write. It's like, every time I was actually in the mood to write, nine zillion other plot bunnies assaulted my._

_Brain, Y U NO cooperate?!_

_Why was there no smut? Because it would have been out of place. I think August's fic - which will also be GaaNaru - will probably have teh smuts. Look forward to it?  
_

_Anyway. Review please?_

_~AkizukiSakura_


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